Trex deck with Azek railing in Mystic, CT

This project involved installing new Trex decking in the Tiki Torch color and an Azek composite railing system on the existing frame, with some modifications. The homeowners were happy with the existing size and layout and any changes would have required substantial landscaping changes so we opted to refresh the existing structure. In many cases the existing frame isn’t able to be reused due to either poor initial construction or just general wear and tear but that was not the case for this project.

The existing framing was in very good shape, which is quite rare. We did detatch the ledger connection to the house and flash it properly to prevent future rot and connect it to the house using code-compliant bolts and hardware, which were lacking. We also replaced one of the deck footing columns that had settled due to improper installation. In addition to those improvements we removed and added new hardware and brackets at all of the joist and post-and-beam connections. The final touch was to plane the existing joists to make sure they were completely flat and then apply a strip of adhesive backed flashing to each joist, a time consuming process but necessary, as every screw hole from the original decking is a source of rot just waiting to happen.

As a result of all the improvements, the homeowners were able to get a beautiful deck that will last decades while saving a modest amount on the framing and keeping thousands of pounds of good lumber out of the landfill!